Come Home
by entschen
Summary: In 2015 Peter and Charlotte come to visit the Cullens with a skittish vampire named Marie in tow. She knows exactly who they are, and they seem to know exactly who she is. But something just doesn't add up. "Bella? Is that you? Is it really you?" He sounded so desperate. I looked up and saw a flash of recognition cross his face. I, on the other hand, was confused. Who was Bella?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I never understood the whole 'plot bunny' thing. Really, I didn't. But now it's happened to me, too! To everyone that is currently reading "Be Careful What You Wish For", the story will continue, even though I am terrible at updating, I have not forgotten it. (Come Home just demands more attention in my head right now.) I am still writing, but progress is slow on that one.

As with my other story: This is unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own. The characters however are not mine. Everything you recognize from Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

**Come Home**

The music switched mid-song once again. Charlotte kept fiddling with the radio while driving. By now I knew that she would keep on looking for a station she deemed as 'good enough' until she found something. The constant change of background noise did nothing to soothe my nerves. Both Peter and Charlotte had tried to assure me that this was a good idea but I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. This was like serving ourselves up on a silver platter. At least I convinced them to let me ride in the bed of the truck as opposed to the backseat, I felt more in control back here. Never the less, the closer we got to our destination, the more nervous I got. Peter must have picked up on this and asked Charlotte to stop the car. When the truck rolled to a stop at the side of the road, he opened the passenger door and got out. He tilted his head in my direction and said "C'mon. We can walk from here. Char'll bring the truck". We headed into the woods surrounding us, me following after Peter dutifully. I had no idea where this coven, no, these _friends_ of his exactly lived. As far as I was concerned, there was no such thing as friends among vampires. You had a coven or you had enemies.

After a couple of minutes of jogging next to each other he slowed to a walk. Shoving his hands into his pockets he started to kick some leaves and small rocks while walking. "You're stalling" I accused him. He sighed heavily before he began to speak. "The house is just up there." He nodded his head to his left. The trees thinned in about a quarter mile, I suspected the house to be in a clearing of some sort. "Look, there are some things I didn't tell you about my friends…" he started but a rustling of leaves behind me caught my attention. "Oh, is that so?" I asked, straining to hear who was behind us. I knew there was somebody there, but I'd be damned if I let whoever it was know that I realized he was there. My senses prickled as I waited for another slight movement, a sound, anything really, to alert me to his presence. By now Peter had caught on to my alerted state and he smacked his forehead. "Oh for God's sake!" was all he said before I launched myself at our attacker. He was clearly focused on Peter, his jump was aimed too high to land on me. I grabbed a hold of his calf and tugged, landing him in the mud a few feet in front of Peter. The trees were far too dense here, this was not an ideal place to fight. My mind was racing with possibilities. With no real time to clear enough trees for a good fight I turned and grabbed Peter's wrist and started running for the clearing. Our attacker snarled and followed seconds behind us. I was mad now, really mad. I had _told_ Peter, that this was not a good idea. And where did his stubbornness get us? I gauged the distance to the clearing, calculating the seconds until we would reach it. I needed room to work. Our attacker was a lot taller than me, most likely stronger, too. I did not want to get stuck in close quarters with him if I didn't have to. I just hoped this wasn't a trap, and we wouldn't be ambushed as soon as we reached the clearing. A growl rumbled deep in my throat, a warning to leave us alone. Thankfully, there was nobody waiting for us in the clearing. I let go of Peter, who, as I noticed for the first time, was laughing. I couldn't make sense of this odd behavior before I turned around to face our attacker head on. I jumped, ready to strike him when I looked into his face for the first time. I froze, mid-jump, and awkwardly stumbled to a halt. Our attacker was none other than the Major, wearing a playful smile. The very man I had been trained to save. His smile quickly slid off his face though, when his eyes met mine. He managed to stop with a little more grace than myself, but his face was shocked. I straightened up, clasping my hands behind my back but could not bring myself to look him in the eyes. My dirty shoes were much more interesting now. "I'm sorry Major Whitlock, sir. No disrespect intended" I told my shoes. A pause. An infinity of uncertainty filled with the background noise of Peter's stupid laughter. Then "Bella?"

Peter was howling. If it were possible he would be wiping tears from his eyes right now. "That has got to be the funniest thing I have ever had the privilege of witnessing!" I glared at him, my back still ramrod straight. The Major had yet to punish me, so my eyes sank back to the floor. I didn't dare look up again.

The commotion had attracted the attention of the people inside. Low voices discussed what was going on, and then a door opened. "What the hell?" Someone said. There was a creaking of wood as a set of footsteps crossed the patio and came down three steps, followed by others shortly after. Gravel crunched slightly as they came closer. I counted six pairs of feet. Plus the Major makes seven. I knew exactly who they were and I was in some deep shit. Peter had betrayed me.

"What's going on out here?" one of the men asked. I swallowed. Was the Major planning on doing this publicly? Punishing whoever dared to attack him as an example to not mess with him? The Major spoke again, ignoring the newcomers. "Bella? Is that you? Is it really you?" He sounded so desperate. I looked up and saw a flash of recognition cross his face. I, on the other hand, was confused. Who was Bella? "I'm sorry, sir." I said. "I don't know who you're talking about." I looked at my feet again and clasped my hands tighter to keep them from shaking. He came closer then and hesitated a moment, before he rested his hand on my shoulder. He crouched down a bit to look me in the eye. "What's this 'sir' thing all the time?" he asked softly. Shit. I'd made another mistake without even realizing it. Stupid girl! "I'm sorry s… Major Whitlock. Is there a way you would like to be addressed?" He looked confused for a moment, then he said "You used to call me Jasper". Huh? I had no idea what he was talking about. I knew who he was, sure. _Everybody_ knew who he was. I had seen his face in that painting in Maria's office many times over the years. But he thought he knew _me_? I had no explanation for this whatsoever. He straightened up again, took two steps back and sighed. "Just relax." I didn't. "And none of that 'Major Whitlock' and 'sir' bullshit. It's been decades since I left the army. It's just Jasper nowadays. And you are?" He looked at me expectantly. "Marie."

"Marie? That's it? You have a last name, too?"

"I don't know." He furrowed his eyebrows. The others started to murmur. Peter chose this moment to step forward and sling his arm around my shoulder, grinning like a madman. I glared at him. "We will be having words." I growled out through clenched teeth. My thinly veiled threat didn't faze him. "Why don't I introduce you to everyone and when Char gets here we'll all move this party inside? Sound ok, sugar?" I glared at him for another second and debated, whether or not I should tell him, that I knew exactly who these people were. The Yellow Eyes. The Doctor and the Mother, the Giant, the Siren, the Witch and the Mind Reader. I knew several ways to kill them, too. I let another second tick by and pressed my lips together tightly, then nodded once.

"Just, wait one minute here. What in the world.. Bella.. Marie.. Whatever! Am I the only one that has no idea what's going on here?" I looked at the speaker, the Giant, who had taken a few steps away from the crowd and raised his hands in frustration. I tried to take a step back, but was firmly held in place by Peter's arm. Gauging the Giant's reaction I tried to calculate how long it would take me to free myself of Peter's hold and how much time that would leave me to attack in case I needed to. I barely registered the awkward silence while everyone stared at me as if I held all the answers. Before I could say anything, Peter finally spoke "Emmett, I really think we should introduce you first. Obviously there is some sort of history here.." I turned and raised my eyebrow at him ".. or not, you know. Whatever. Anyway. I'm not going to stand here and watch you guys put this puzzle together while she stands here glaring at me. You can be nice and civilized about this whole thing. Ain't that right, Marie?" He squeezed me closer to his side and gave me a slight shake at the same time. I looked down and mumbled a quick "Yes, sir", afraid of what was about to happen. He wanted me to play nice with _them_? Did he not know what they were capable of? Another shake. "We were passed the 'sir' stage weeks ago. Jasper, I swear we weren't this skittish when we left the army." The Major barked out a laugh "Speak for yourself, but I think I was worse."

The low rumbling sound of a motor growing steadily louder drifted towards us. "Ah, that'll be Char and the truck. Let's get a move on then." Peter strode forward, not so subtly dragging me along with the arm he had still slung around my shoulders. "This, little Marie, is the Cullen family." He pointed to each of them in turn as he introduced them. I nodded at each of them in greeting but stayed silently at Peter's side. Internally I was matching their real names with what I knew of them already. When Peter pointed out the Mind Reader – Edward – I noticed that his expression held so much longing, it made me uncomfortable. There was something there, something .. off. I had no name for it, nor could I place exactly what it was, but something just didn't seem right. It gave me the creeps.

"And then there's Jasper, who you already know.." he trailed off here, clearly waiting for me to explain. I shrugged, kicked a piece of gravel and told my shoes that everyone knows Major Jasper Whitlock. By now the low rumbling of the truck's motor had gotten very loud, and moments later Char drove up in front of the garage, effectively saving me from this conversation.

She parked the car and stepped out, the slamming of the door the only sound disturbing the awkward silence. "Well, doesn't this look like a happy reunion? Hi everyone!" She smiled and waved but when she looked at me her voice hardened. "Marie! Did you get into a fight, _again?_ Just look at this!" She stuck her fingers through a tear at the back of my shirt. I was about to tell her, that it wasn't my fault and that we were attacked but stopped myself. I couldn't accuse the Major when clearly we were trespassing on his territory. Especially since he had yet to punish me. So I kept my head down and mumbled "Yes, ma'am. Sorry."

"That's it? You're sorry?" she sounded incredulous. "Whatever happened to the spitfire I met two months ago?" she paused then. "Jasper, what did you _do_ to her?!"

"Me? What did I do?! I.. I didn't do anything. I mean, it's like she's not even there!" he spluttered. That made Charlotte angry. "Not even there? Are you kidding me? Now you're just being plain rude. She is _right there_, Jasper. What is wrong with you?" Peter had started laughing again. This was turning out to be the weirdest and most terrifying day of my life. I took pity on the Major, I knew what he was getting at. Peter and Charlotte didn't know about my gift and if I had my way, it would stay that way. "Charlotte, drop it. He didn't do anything. It's ok, everything is fine, I'm fine." I nodded at the Major and pulled Char back a few steps to stand next to me. Pete was calming down again but it was the Mother who reacted first. She stepped in front of the Yellow Eyes, gestured toward the house and invited us in. I stiffened. This was not good. Out here there was room to maneuver if I needed it. I didn't know what was waiting inside. I knew that the Major would most likely fight for the Yellow Eyes since the Witch had deluded him somehow. This did not help my odds and since Pete and Char apparently were great friends with them it was even worse. Nine against one was not a fight I could win. If it came to a fight which one would I take out before I fled? The Mind Reader, I concluded. I am the key, because they lose an advantage if they lose him. While I was calculating possible escape routes Pete slung his arm around my shoulders once again and started dragging me toward the door. He didn't say anything but he also let me know that declining the offer was not an option. I noticed that the Mother and Char had linked arms. "Motherhood suits you, Charlotte." They smiled at each other. "I never understood Esme.. but now.. I get it now."

This annoyed me. I was _not_ Char's daughter. I wasn't anybody's daughter. Vampires did not have mothers or daughters or families. They had sires and covens. There was something seriously wrong with the Yellow Eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

This story is unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own. The characters however are not mine. Everything you recognize from Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

**Come Home, Chapter 2.**

Ok, this was weird. I was standing in the corner of the living room and had seven pairs of freaky yellow eyes staring at me. And two pairs of red. At least they were normal. "Are you sure you don't want to have a seat Be.. Marie?" the Witch asked. "No, thank you." I replied. They seemed to be expecting something from me and I had no intention of saying anything. Frankly, I was waiting for the Major to finally take charge. He was a natural leader, surely he would do more than sit on a couch and stare at me? I kept my hands behind my back, like I had done outside but stayed quiet. After a few minutes of silence the Doctor moved his arms. He leaned his elbows on his thighs, tented his hands and sighed. "Your visit comes as quite a surprise to us Marie." I glanced at the Major, not sure what to make of this. Why wasn't _he_ the one talking? And why on earth hadn't he done anything about me attacking him yet? Was this some tactic to distract me, lull me into a false sense of security?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trespass. I was only accompanying Peter and Charlotte. They said it would be alright for me to join them." He waved his hand and chuckled. "Oh no, you misunderstand me. We are glad to have you here. Surprised, but glad. Would you mind terribly if I asked you some questions?" Uh-oh. This was it. I was going to be interrogated. What would he do if I said no? How would he make me talk? What if I didn't give him the answers he was looking for? What if I did? "Marie, be nice" Peter warned and raised an eyebrow at me. He looked completely relaxed with his feet up on the coffee table but I knew better, he would be after me in a heartbeat if I ran now.

"Ok. Go ahead." I said. I tried to sound calm even though I felt like bolting. The Doctor beamed at me. "Where are you from?" What? _That_ was his question? "I don't know." I shrugged. "The South I guess. It doesn't matter anyway." He nodded then, obviously thinking about my answer. "Do you remember your human life? Anything at all?" Seriously, what kind of questions were these? "No, I don't." He nodded again, as if my answers gave him some great insight. "Am I guessing correctly, that the first thing you remember is the change?" Fire. I remember fire. "Yes." I remember wondering how I could _feel_ the heat and the fire and how I could _hear_ people screaming while they were burning alive, but never smell any smoke or burned wood or flesh. That must have been very interesting as the Doctor sat up straighter. The Mind Reader looked worried. No, not worried, dejected. He lowered his head, his hands were tugging at his hair.

"Does Washington mean anything to you?" the Doctor asked next. I thought for a moment. "The president? D.C. or state? University? Which one are you talking about?" I was confused, this was the weirdest interrogation ever. "That answers my question already." He paused then. "What about Forks, does Forks mean anything to you?" Forks? I paused. "Green.. uh.. a form of cutlery, plural." The Mind Reader's head shot up. "What did you say?" he asked.

"I said: a form of cutlery, plural."

"No, before that. What did you say before that?" he asked again. Was he excited about this? "I said green. I don't know why, it had nothing to do with the question. I'm sorry." Were they looking for small mistakes like that? Ask stupidly simple questions and wait for a wrong answer? The Doctor was beaming again.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your game of 20 questions Carlisle, but I have to ask: You think you know her? I'm guessing from Forks? But she doesn't know you. Is that about right?" Peter asked. He still hadn't moved his feet from the coffee table and I wondered if it was considered rude to set one's feet on a table in a house were a table wasn't used for food.

"That's about right. Although I don't _think_ I know Marie. I _know_ that I know her." The Doctor sounded so sure of himself. It made me uneasy. Peter must have realized that I wasn't handling this very well. "Would you care to elaborate a bit more? There are at least three of us that have no clue what you're talking about."

"Certainly" the Doctor replied and turned to look at me. "We met you.. oh.. what is it ten or eleven years ago, when we still lived in Washington. You were human then and went by the name Bella – Isabella Marie. You had just moved to the area to stay with your father. Much to our surprise you figured out what we were. You were our friend, we were close. We left after.. your 18th birthday and haven't seen you since." This was news to me. I was not so ignorant to believe that I had not had a life before I was changed into a vampire, but I had always assumed I was like the others: from the South, usually the area we were staying in at the time. Since no missing person posters were put up I assumed that either nobody cared enough about me or there simply wasn't anybody to care whether I was dead or alive. I was better off with Maria.

"We were sad to find out you were missing." Carlisle continued. I stared at him.

"Excuse me, what?"

He sighed and wet his lips. "We didn't .. we.. when we left Forks, we left rather abruptly and you only ever said goodbye to Edward." The Mind Reader groaned but otherwise kept quiet. "We told the townspeople we were moving to L.A. and set up a forwarding address to one of our PO boxes there. We moved to Canada instead. It was all part of the charade. Very little mail if any ever makes it to the PO boxes we set up after a move, but imagine our surprise when our lawyer forwarded a letter from Charlie Swan asking us to contact him or the Forks PD if you happened to show up at our doorstep."

"I'm sorry, who's Charlie Swan?" I asked. I had never heard the name before. "He's your father." came the quiet reply. The Mind Reader had answered. He was looking at me intently with sad eyes, as if he was willing me to remember who Charlie Swan – my father – was. "You loved him very much." he said sadly. For a moment I was dumbfounded. Then I shook my head disbelievingly. I couldn't even remember the man or the life I had living with him. "Is he still looking for me?" I asked softly. The Mind Reader swallowed and shook his head slightly. "Not officially, no. After we received the letter we got in touch with him to find out what had happened and offer our support. A few days later they found your things, a suitcase, a purse and your wallet. The wallet was covered in your blood. All the cash was missing but your ID and credit cards were still there. Basically, you were a missing adult with no form of identification, and about 50 dollars in your pocket, max. Everyone gave up on your case after that. Charlie.. he.. he doesn't want to believe that you're gone, I don't think he'll ever stop looking for you. But he doesn't really expect you to turn up either. He knows what the odds of finding you are, he just can't let that slight chance go, that you might come back." He wouldn't look at me after that. And I didn't know what to say. What the hell do you say to that? Is there a proper thing to say?

"Your mother had a baby a few years back. She named her Hope, maybe in an attempt to mend her broken heart. You know, hope for a better future and such." the Witch said. She seemed so sad.

"My mother had.. but not my father? Did she have the baby with someone else? Wait, did my parents separate after I went missing?"

"Oh no, sweetie. They separated a long time ago, when you were a baby." she said. Huh. It was disconcerting how much these people knew about me, about the person I had been before I was a vampire. I looked around the room, unsure of how to react. My eyes landed on the Major once again. "_I don't know what she did or said to him, but he has been deluded. He is under her spell. Beware of the Witch my precious Marie, it is not her Sight alone that makes her dangerous."_ Maria's voice echoed in my head and suddenly there was a shift in my mind and several things clicked into place. Realization dawned on me and I bolted. _This_ is how they worked, how they caught him. They must have spun some tale for him as well. I could feel it deep within me, how the words they spoke had resonated. They filled a void I didn't know was there. I wanted to stay and learn more, know more about the girl who befriended vampires. Whose father would never give up looking for her and who had a baby sister she had never met. Did I have other sibli… No. Lies! They made up these lies! There never was anyone to look for me. Nobody cared. I growled in frustration while I ran, pushing myself harder, wanting to leave even faster. I wondered what they had told the Major to keep him with them. What had they come up with for him? I was an easy target, I didn't remember anything from before. They could tell me whatever the fuck they wanted and for all I knew it might be true. I suspected the Major had been much harder to entice.

I could hear footsteps behind me, somebody was trying to follow me. I began changing my path abruptly every once in a while in an attempt to throw my pursuer off. This tactic came back to bite me when I ended up smack dab at the bottom of a cliff. Great. I spun around to face whoever was following me, crouching and ready to attack if need be. All I could hear were the footsteps coming closer. And then "It's only me, little Marie." It was Peter. I exhaled and relaxed. It took him another 17 seconds to reach me and I was surprised to see that he wasn't angry. He seemed concerned. "Are you ok?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"Bullshit. The hell you are! Why are you so afraid little Marie? What happened back there? The Cullens are perfectly nice people."

"Don't call them people. They're not _people_, Pete."

"Excuse me? What's your problem anyway?"

"What's _my_ problem? You lead me to a large coven absolutely unprepared. We're attacked before we even get there. And not only that, it's not some random guy, it's _Major Jasper Whitlock_. The fucking Major attacked us! You should have told me, Peter. But not only that, no, you just fucking laughed. What the fuck was so funny about that situation Pete? Because I sure as hell did not think it was funny. They are an extremely dangerous and gifted coven and you think it's funny when they attack?! That is not how you treat your coven members!" I was furious with him. I had started pacing midway through my rant, but spun around to look him in the eyes when I was finished. I took a couple of calming breaths before I continued in a much quieter voice: "I thought I could trust you."

"That's a low blow little Marie and you know it. You _can_ trust me. Believe me, you were never in any danger. Right before Jay attacked I was going to tell you, I swear. We do it all the time, it's kinda the way we say hello." I cocked an eyebrow at him. Was I supposed to believe this shit? "Don't give me that look, it's the truth. You didn't answer my question: Why are you so afraid?"

"They're dangerous Pete. You might not want to see it, but they are."

"And how the fuck would you know if they're dangerous? You didn't even have the decency to really talk to them or get to know them. Trust me, the Cullens are great. Granted, they're a bit on the wacky side with the whole 'vegetarian' thing, but all in all, they are good people."

"Oh my God, they did it to you, too, didn't they? Not as bad as with _him_, but still. They played some sick mind game with you and now you don't want to hear anything about what they're really like. But I won't let them do that to me! I swear, they are a bunch of sick fuckers and I sure as hell am not going to walk in there and give myself up willingly." Peter just stared at me like I had lost my mind. He blinked a couple of times but stayed silent otherwise. He was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable.

"I.. Wha.. I don't even know.. What the fuck?" He blinked three more times and ran his fingers through his hair. "Little Marie, I think you have to explain yourself a little better, because I have no idea what the fuck you are talking about or why you would think something like that." I gritted my teeth. I did not feel like spilling my guts to Peter and telling him all about my life. Especially if he thought the Yellow Eyes were harmless. He could just as well run right back to them with that information, and where would that leave me? I growled, getting angry just thinking about it.

"Oh no, don't even start like that. You know that I never asked. It is your story to tell and honestly? A skittish little thing like you shows up, covered in scars and acting the way you did? Where else could you have come from, if not the army? But there is something else, something more to your story. The way you acted with the Cullens? It's not acceptable. So little Marie, explain yourself."

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Internally I was debating what I could tell him. How much would be enough? There were many things that I did not want to get into now. Or ever for that matter.

"I've got all day, I ain't going nowhere. But don't make me repeat myself a third time." he warned. I huffed.

"Fine. As you learned at the house I can't remember anything from before.. well, as far as I'm concerned, my life started the day I woke up as a vampire. Everything I know, I learned in the army. After.. Once I.. let's just say: I was good at what I did. And for years now there was talk of.. After the Major left, things haven't been the same for Maria. She lost a lot of hunting grounds and was quite.. unhappy about the situation. She wanted everything back and thought that the Major was the way to go. When she propositioned him he declined. But he was different, she said. He had seemed brainwashed, not himself. Just.. Look, if you breathe a word of what I am going to say next to them I will not hesitate to try and kill you. And that means you better not be thinking about it when the fucking Mind Reader is around, you hear?" Peter kept his mouth shut but nodded once. He was curious, I could tell. "Maria wanted to rescue the Major. She'd been trying to establish an elite troop that could take on the Yellow Eyes. So excuse me if I don't trust them, because I spent all my life memorizing ways to kill them. They are _evil,_ Peter. And I can see it, the way they work. They seem so nice and friendly but it's all part of an act. It must be how they lure them in. I just can't figure out why. Why does the Doctor collect so many talented vampires and not use them?" Peter had folded his arms while I was talking. I could tell he wasn't happy with what I had told him.

"So, you're telling me, the queen bitch is planning on attacking the Cullens in some deluded attempt to get Jasper to come back? That fucking crazy bitch!"

"Don't talk about her like that! And no, that's not what I'm telling you. She _was_ planning on it. But she's dead now."

"Are you fucking serious? Are you sure? Are you absolutely, 100% sure?"

"I watched her burn." I whispered and looked down. I could see the pyre and hear the screams in my mind. I shook my head to clear it. "It doesn't matter anyway. What's done is done. Fact is, I don't trust them."

I looked up when I felt a hand on my left shoulder. "Little Marie, look at me." I looked up. "I am sorry. I can tell she meant a lot to you, no matter what I may have thought about her. And I'm sorry that you had to see that."

"I've seen worse." I said, shrugging my shoulders to get him to remove his hand. He was making me uncomfortable again.

"Well, then I'm sorry about that, too." he said softly before dropping his hand. And at that moment I could tell that he knew far more than he was letting on. I couldn't place just what it was, but something in that little sentence and the way he said it let me know, that he knew exactly what I meant with 'worse'.

"Quit being so mushy."

"Who're you calling mushy?" he asked and gave me a playful shove.

**A/N: **Wow. People, I am floored! So many of you have started to follow my story (or me) or even added Come Home to your favorites. Thank you! You cannot imagine how happy it makes me every time I get an email that basically tells me, that somebody liked my work. Let me know what you think about chapter 2!


	3. Chapter 3

This story is unbeta'd, so all mistakes are my own. The characters however are not mine. Everything you recognize from Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

**Come Home, Chapter 3.**

In the end Peter convinced me to at least try to keep an open mind and come back to the house. I could do my own research from there. Upon our return, the Witch handed me a colorful scrapbook. She said she had collected anything she could find regarding my disappearance, my parents and my sister. She had added all of that to an existing scrapbook of my time with them. I thanked her stiffly and took it, but didn't open it. It was resting in front of me on the dashboard of Peter's truck while I was surfing on a tablet computer. Which is supposedly the next big thing after laptops. Also, they freak me out a bit. Hello, touch operated computers with voice recognition? We have officially reached the future. The Giant had to show me how to use the thing, because my understanding of modern technology no longer qualified as up to date.

I didn't have very much to go on. Since I didn't trust the Yellow Eyes I refused to use any of the 'information' they had provided me with. This left me with the very few facts I had: my first name, race and hair color and the place I turned up as a vampire. I didn't remember the color my eyes had been, my last name or how old I was when I was changed. No missing persons matching that description. Go figure. I was right, there was either nobody left to report me missing or nobody cared enough about me. Maybe I disappeared ten years ago. Or maybe I was never on any radar to disappear from.

I tapped my fingers on the dashboard and scowled at the scrapbook. I deliberated for a bit but finally googled 'Isabella Swan missing'. And I found loads of entries, news stories, pictures, missing person posters, the whole shebang. I clicked on a missing persons database entry and found a picture of.. me. Except it wasn't me. The girl lacked the beauty of a vampire. Her facial features weren't as striking, she looked so _soft_. I stared at the picture, trying to see the missing link, willing myself to remember anything. But I couldn't. Isabella Swan, born September 13th 1987 looked a lot like me. We shared enough similarities that I was 89% sure that I could have been her once. I continued to stare at the picture, _my picture._ "Brown eyes" I mumbled. "I used to have brown eyes."

From there I read news stories about Charles Swan trying to find me, begging the public for help. This was so much to wrap my head around. It left me feeling numb. I didn't know how to process this information, what to do with it. I glanced at the scrapbook again. The cover was bright yellow, with blue flowers and ribbons and other decorations attached to it. The Witch had written _Bella_ in an elegant script across the front. It irritated me. Bella. Who the fuck was Bella, anyway? I didn't feel like a Bella, I felt like Marie. Simple, plain Marie.

_ "What's going on? Who are you? Where am I… who am I?"_

"_No worries my precious child, you are with me now. I am Maria and you are Marie. It has a nice ring to it 'Marie and Maria' don't you agree?"_

Marie and Maria. It was what I knew, all I had known since I woke up to this life. And suddenly I was supposed to be somebody else. There was this whole group of people that expected me to be somebody that I didn't know, but they sure as hell did. I was confused and beginning to feel angry. I slammed my palms on the dashboard, set the tablet aside and opened the car door. I left it wide open and walked across the clearing. It had started to drizzle lightly a couple of minutes ago but the feeling of being contained made me far more uncomfortable than getting a little wet. I stomped across the clearing towards the woods at a slow pace. I knew I was being watched, I had seen one of the curtains flicker every once in a while, and I wanted to convey that I was not in fact leaving, but I needed time to process what I had found. However, somebody did not agree with this because I heard the door open and the porch creak. Then a few steps and the slamming of the car door. Gravel crunched as the person started following me, only to be replaced by the slight squishing sound of footsteps on grass and mud. I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept my head down. I wasn't in the mood to talk. Neither was my companion, it seemed. He or she stayed a few steps behind me, a silent support of sorts. I was trying to figure out who I was, who this Bella was and what that meant for me, Marie. But the squishing and squelching of footsteps irritated me to no end. How was I supposed to focus? I stopped then, out of sight of the house, but not far into the surrounding forest. My companion stopped as well. The silence was much better. I closed my eyes and lifted my head towards the sky, letting the slight rain land on my face. It was refreshing. I tried to clear my mind, maybe that would help me solve the puzzle of my past.

I used to be Bella, with brown eyes. I lived in Forks. Forks was green. I hung out with vampires. Now I was Marie, with red eyes. I lived with Peter and Charlotte. I was a vampire.

There was something missing, something to link the two identities. And I could not put the puzzle together. How had I gone from Bella to Marie? What had happened in between? What made me forget everything about my human life? I huffed, lowered my head again and shook it from side to side, spraying water everywhere. I heard a low chuckle. My companion was male, standing about 6 feet behind me to my left. I spun around to face him, my mind racing as I calculated ways of attacking and possible escape routes. My companion was the Major. Oh shit. Of all people, _he _has to come out here? I still wasn't sure why he hadn't punished me in any way since I attacked him and I had learned to fear the Major. Even if I'd never met him in person before today. I exhaled. Not everyone wants to attack all the time. Things are different now. Calm, I needed calm. I inhaled, held my breath for 30 seconds and exhaled again slowly. Calm.

"I'm glad I can amuse you" I finally said.

"And I'm glad you didn't run again." he answered. "We really are glad to have you Marie. And I know it's overwhelming, but I promise you're safe here. No need to run." he said softly.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"What did I say about the whole 'sir' bullshit?"

"You said that it's just 'Jasper' nowadays, sir. Sorry." I looked down again and flinched. "Old habits die hard." I desperately wanted to add 'sir' to that sentence, but stopped myself.

"I know the feeling." he said. Although he was looking my way I could tell his thoughts were somewhere else. He recovered quickly and smiled at me. "You know, Alice might be able to help you. She knows better than anyone what you're going through right now."

"And why is that?" I looked at him questioningly. I was wary of all of them and now the brainwashed Major wants me to go bond with the Witch? Stop! The things the Yellow Eyes told me had turned out to be true in the end. At least it seemed that way. Still, I was wary.

"She doesn't remember a thing about being human, either. She only found some information more or less recently. Thanks to you, actually. Well, thanks to Bella."

"Thank you.. for saying it that way." I was so incredibly grateful to him in that moment. He acknowledged that while Bella used to live in my body, or at least a version of my body, it did not mean that she was still there now.

"Sure thing, kid." he said with a smile. He started walking further into the woods, his shoulder brushing mine slightly when he passed. "Care to take a walk with me?"

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" I asked.

"No, not really. You were walking and I was trailing behind you. It's not the same thing." He answered, raising his right eyebrow at me.

"True. Well then, yes. I'd like to take a walk with you."

"Tell me something about yourself Marie."

"There's not much to tell." I started kicking some leaves as I spoke. "I'm just.. well, me." That made him chuckle.

"You're just you? That's it? Nah, I don't buy it. Tell me something, come on! You told Carlisle you're from the South. Well, me too. So, where from the South are you from little lady?"

"I don't know if I'm from the South Maj.. Jasper. If it's true what you've told me then I'm not from there, not really. It's so confusing! I turned up in Houston, so for as long as I can remember, I thought I was from Houston. Because when we picked up somebody new Monterrey, they were from Monterrey. When we picked up somebody new in Shreveport, they were most likely from Shreveport. So since I was picked up in Houston, guess why I thought I was from there?" I was starting to fidget again. I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact, that what little I thought I had known about myself seemed to be a lie.

"I see how that can be frustrating. And confusing." He sighed loudly. "I didn't' mean to upset you with my question. Forget I asked." He gave me a long look, his eyes boring into mine before they swept across my face. "You look like there's something on your mind." It was a statement, not a question. The way he said it made it clear that he was expecting an answer.

"I have so many things on my mind right now. I feel like a baby again."

"Go on, try me." He nodded his head once but never stopped looking at me.

"I.. well.." I sighed. "I'm afraid to ask, sir. Sorry, I meant Jasper." I fidgeted again.

"S'okay. You don't have to be afraid. Nobody will hurt you here. Pete said you're fresh out of the army?" I could tell he knew the answer to this already, but I nodded once anyway. "It's a foreign concept at first, I know. But it's true. Asking questions won't get you into trouble."

I swallowed thickly. "Ok." I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for a form of punishment anyway. Here goes nothing. "Why haven't you punished me yet for attacking you, sir?"

He stared at me and blinked but didn't say anything. Then he blinked again. "Pardon?" Now it was my turn to stare. What the hell is wrong with him?

"I asked why I haven't been punished yet, sir."

"Yeah, I got that part. Why the hell do you think I would want to punish you? _I_ attacked _you_. And will you just quit with the whole 'sir' thing, already? It drives me crazy."

I gave him an incredulous look. Was he seriously asking me this? And since when is showing respect such a bad thing? Whoever Major Jasper Whitlock was when Maria knew him, this guy sure as hell was nothing like him.

"I'm sorry, what? You are Major Jasper Whitlock. Nobody does what I did earlier and gets away with it. Nobody. And if you allow this kind of behavior, who's to say that others won't do it as well? It undermines your authority to let me go unpunished." At this he started laughing. I was slowly beginning to think that animal blood not only made their eyes yellow, but also rotted their brains.

"Do me a favor, Marie. Don't repeat that in front of Emmett. I'll never hear the end of it." He continued to chuckle for a while, but when he calmed down his face turned serious. "I won't punish you, because there is nothing to punish. Peter and I try to sneak up on each other all the time. It's a game. If the idiot didn't tell you about it, that's hardly something I can fault you for. You were protecting him. Besides, like I said before, things are different here. It's not about establishing authority over others and fighting and all that crap. We live a peaceful life here. It's very soothing."

Well if this day doesn't keep getting weirder and weirder. First it's 'a vampire _family_', then they have _friends_ and now it's 'a peaceful life'. Fucking vampire hippies is what they were.

**A/N**

First of all: thank you for putting up with the long wait. Summer vacation came (and went) and I was busy busy busy at home. Now I'm back, and have already started on the next chapter. Again, I am so incredibly happy at all the attention I'm getting for this story. Way to stroke my ego people. Thank you!  
I'm always happy to hear from you, so let me know what you think of chapter 3.


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